Mineral Sciences

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Scientists in the Department of Mineral Sciences seek to understand the evolution of the Earth and Solar System by studying samples from environments ranging from the mantle to mine drainages, from volcanic arcs to the asteroid belt. The department is home to world-class collections of rocks, minerals, meteorites, and gems, as well as the instruments our scientists use to study these specimens in detail.

Global Volcanism Program

The Global Volcanism Program seeks to document, understand, and disseminate information about global volcanic activity. Its weekly and monthly reports provide scientists with a record of ongoing eruptions they can use to guide research and hazard management related to volcanoes.

Volcano erupting with lava streaming down the side. A forest is at its foot and the eruption is reflected in a dark lake.

Using the Collections

Our collection of over 600,000 specimens is available for study by researchers worldwide. Find specimens and request a loan using the links below.

Access the Collections

Collections Overview

Samples Requests & Loan Policy

Reference Materials

Instrumentation

Electron microprobe

Scanning electron microscope

Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer

Research Support Facilities

Seminar Schedule

Spring 2019 seminar schedule
Date	Title	Speaker
Feb 6	What we know & don’t know about 1I/ʻOumuamua, the 1st detected Interstellar object in the Solar System	Carey Lisse JHU Applied Physics Lab
Feb 13	No seminar (Tuscon Gem & Mineral Show)
Feb 20	No seminar (scheduled seminar moved to Feb. 27)
Feb 27	Using Seismo-Infrasonic Observations to Quantify Eruptive Processes	Kathleen McKee Carnegie DTM
Mar 6	Eruptions: The Final Countdown	Megan Newcombe Carnegie DTM
Mar 13	The fate of deeply subducted volatiles	Michael Walter Carnegie GL
Mar 20	No seminar (Lunar & Planetary Science Conference)
Mar 27	'Top-down' precursory volcanic seismicity – Implications for magma ascent and eruption forecasting	Diana Roman Carnegie DTM
Apr 3	No seminar scheduled
Apr 10	Icy ocean world interiors — techniques and implications	Douglas Hemingway Carnegie DTM
Apr 17	No seminar scheduled
Apr 24	Undrained pore fluids in subduction: Implications for deep volatile transfer	Daniel Viete Johns Hopkins University
May 1	An outdoor laboratory in a pit crater: Study of cooling and crystallization of basalt in Makaopuhi lava lake	Thomas Wright Johns Hopkins University
May 8	Volcano Variety: Understanding Arcs with Multi-Scale Seismic Imaging	Helen Janiszewski Carnegie DTM
May 15	Rocky clouds of death: Pyroclastic flows on Mount St. Helens (1980) & Shiveluch volcanoes	Janine Krippner Mineral Sciences
May 22	No seminar scheduled
May 29	How reliably can we seismically image deep mantle plumes?	Ross Maguire University of Maryland

Seminars are held on the fourth floor of the east wing of NMNH and run from 10 to 11 a.m. unless otherwise noted. Smithsonian personnel who are not members of the department can buzz in at the entrance to the department in the fourth floor elevator lobby prior to 10 a.m. Visitors without SI badges should call the department from the visitor services office, located at the 10th and Constitution Ave entrance to the museum, by dialing Phyllis McKenzie at x31808 or Ioan Lascu at x31815.

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